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The South Korean delegation (left) and the North (right) shake hands in the Demilitarised Zone. AP/PA Images

Hand of friendship: North and South Korea will compete together at the Winter Olympics

They’ll be sending a joint ice hockey team and will march under a “unification flag”.

NORTH AND SOUTH Korea will march together at the opening ceremony of next month’s Winter Olympics.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry says athletes from the two Koreas will march together under a “unification flag” when the games open in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The nations have also agreed to field a single women’s ice hockey team, the first time they’ll send a joint team to the Olympics.

The measures require approval by the International Olympic Committee and follow a flurry of cross-border talks.

Following a working-level meeting held at the truce village of Panmunjom, both sides have confirmed the news according to the Yonhap agency.

A North Korean delegation will visit the South next week to review the facilities at the Games venue, Yonhap reported.

South Korea also agreed to send its athletes to the North’s Masikryong ski resort for training ahead of the Pyeongchang Olympics that begin on 5 February.

North Korea’s Olympic delegation, athletes, cheering squad, taekwondo delegation and reporters will travel by land through Kaesong, which lies on the main road from Pyongyang to Seoul.

Nuclear-armed Pyongyang agreed last week to send athletes, high-level officials, performers and others to the Pyeongchang Games, taking place just 80 km south of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides the peninsula.

Seoul has long sought to proclaim the event a “peace Olympics” in the face of tensions over the North’s weapons programmes — which have seen it subjected to multiple UN Security Council sanctions — and the discussions represent a marked improvement.

Three officials from each side took part and the results will be discussed by both Koreas with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday.

The IOC must approve extra Olympic slots for the North’s athletes after they failed to qualify or missed deadlines to register.

© – AFP 2018 with reporting by Associated Press

Read: Japanese news agency mistakenly alerts people of imminent North Korea attack >

Read: ‘An epic failure’: Fallout continues after pushing of ‘wrong button’ causes mass panic in Hawai >

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45 Comments
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    Mute Eimear Smith
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:11 AM

    Can ya imagine the uproar there’d be if on Paddy’s day we started burning Union Jack’s? Burning Flags? Off yis go to Alabama, Iran, Pakistan. Plenty of extremists and bigots there to burn flags with

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    Mute Paul Carr
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:30 AM

    St Patrick’ Day is not an exclusively nationalist festival. It brings together both unionist and nationalist.

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:00 PM

    You forget that the outrage only goes one way for many commentators in this state.

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    Mute Seán Ó HAdhmaill
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    Jul 12th 2012, 1:50 PM

    @Paul Carr That’s because unlike the “celebration” of the Twelfh of July huge efforts were made especially in recent years to work towards ensuring St. Patrick’s Day (Festival) was as inclusive as possible, thus attracting both tourists and the local population.

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    Mute kingstown
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:05 AM

    A celebration of bigotry and hatred – bless ‘em

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 1:33 PM

    Their solution to the Ardoyne standoff, was to forget most of their parade but have a mini-bus of people drive to the Catholic area and march on it before their dead line. So much for traditional rights etc, when it is either march for an hour among your own, or 10 minutes in a Catholic area, then its off to pee down on the papes.

    They truly are an evil org. Just imagine what it must have been like, when they ran the show up there and people wonder why one man, one vote came to the North only in the 70′s.

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    Mute James Ó Cianáin
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:05 AM

    Disaster, what a waste!

    Could have converted those pallets into large supply of wood pellets for boilers.

    Years of energy wasted!!

    273
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    Mute Howard Cooley
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:21 AM

    I can’t for one moment understand the mentality of the British/NI government allowing the likes of these parades and bonfires nothing but provocation in the extreme. It should all be banned until such times as they are able to live in harmony wether Nationalist or Loyalist. It is the children of today that must make it change.

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    Mute Cal1 Mooney
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:34 AM

    100% agreed. Our Government and the British Government sit idly by, year after year. Yet, if this was happening in the South and we were burning Union Jacks, and things that made fun of murder victims, there would be uproar (and rightly so).
    Alan Shatters Londonderry remark about Derry, sums up the Governments thinking on this issue. The only people who call Derry, ‘Londonderry’ are Orange Bigots and their supporters (and by association, Alan Shatter is a supporter). Not one Irish person on the whole Island calls Derry by any other name.
    I hope he is proud to see what his cohorts are doing.
    And still the Orange Order refuse to engage with resident associations. Every year those resident associations are becoming more militant as a direct result of the fear and intimidation they are suffering at the hands of the Orange Order and its supporters.
    They are being attacked in their homes, and yet when they finally have enough of it, and take up arms to defend themselves, Politicians are out damning them, yet these same Politicians sit back and say nothing while the residents are attacked.

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    Mute Clare MacCann
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:44 AM

    Very well said Howard

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 11:51 AM

    The Orange Order have many many influential members, indeed you had no chance of being a Unionist politician unless you were a member. Civil servant jobs, senior police roles, all were commonly reserved for Orange men. It ensured the “Protestant state for a Protestant people” mentality stayed in power, add in on top of that, the Order can bring 150,000 people on to the streets. It has always been willing to bring Loyalist guns in to the mix.

    The Order have always threatened the Nuclear option, that if they did not get to stay in control, if civil rights for catholics went too far, that they would unleash their membership and plunge the North in to a massive bloodbath. It is however too big a weapon, like America then can destroy the world in 30 minutes but get beaten out of Somalia.

    It is important that the fascists in the Orange Order are faced down, their hatred and racism belongs in the past, and it has laid waste to this country for a very long time.

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    Mute Ann Reddin
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    Jul 12th 2012, 4:56 PM

    As long as tribalism remains as the accpeted norm in the six counties by both the British and Irish governments the orangeamans bigotry and hatred will continue to be fed to future generations.

    Here are a few more pics if you’re stomach can take them

    Note that this bonfire is beside a playground http://twitpic.com/a6je3t

    http://twitpic.com/a6iysc Papal flag, tricolour and polish born SDLP member

    This one is particularly vile as it contains the names of the 14 innocent people who were murdered on Bloody Sunday http://t.co/vdSrcknJ

    11
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    Mute Joe Loughrey
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    Jul 12th 2012, 6:41 PM

    That last photo is barbaric. Where does all this hate come from after 15 years of peace?

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    Mute Brian O'Donnell
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:22 AM

    I look forward to hearing the comments from our National Government and the British Government..and sure why not..also Europe. May I suggest we all write letters of complaint to the stupid idiots who let the bonfires happen!

    I would never burn the Union Jack! I would never insult an entire nation that way.

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    Mute Sarah Digby
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:26 AM

    This wouldn’t be allowed anywhere else in the uk! They’d be nicked in a second. Surely it’s an incitement to do something or other or hate crime?

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 11:15 AM

    The Fascist Orange Order is even more vile, if possible in Scotland.

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    Mute Michael
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:18 PM

    Is there anyway we could contact the N Irl/UK government i.e. e-mail and complain about the burning of the tri- colour, i mean this sh*t is not on.
    1998 the good Friday agreement was signed and these bloody hillbillies still get away with murder, this liberal government need to stop tip-toeing around these so called ethnic groups primarily the Ulster Scots and impose some law and order. Christ burning another nation’s flag is not on!

    44
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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:30 AM

    Hilbilly bigots. nice that its being reported to show that its nothing to do with tradition like they say but just thugs trying to provoke people.

    Ban the parades, or just let them parade with their band down the main street for one hour. I have a feeling if they had noone to provoke they’d lose interest pretty quick..

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    Mute gar gates
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:31 AM

    Pack of fools. The worst thing is our government accepts this. It would be different if it was the other way round.

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    Mute Briain MacMathghamha
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:22 PM

    Have you ever seen in of the august bonfires they are both as bad as the other

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    Mute Eamonn Connaghan
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:48 AM

    Here’s a peaceful solution to the ardoyne situation. Why not just march through your own areas and stop trying to provoke the nationalist in the area, that don’t want your bigotted, sectarian, triumphalist marches coming down their streets. Simples.

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:22 PM

    If the people in Ardoyne can hear the shouts of Die Taigs, Die from the Orange Order’s home ground then, it might just work. Maybe the could have the message sent by text to all catholics, they get to share their traditional 12th greeting to the neighbours, their raison d’etre and Catholic areas don’t have to be locked down by thousands of police as the sashes go by.

    I think I just might have won the Nobel Peace Prize.

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    Mute Deirdre Mac Mahon
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:35 PM

    @fagans congratulations, well deserved

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    Mute Sneaksnote
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:47 AM

    the recent queen handshake by Martin mcguinness was a huge step towards lasting peace isn’t it time a similar gesture was made on the loyalist side by politicians condemning these public displays of hatred

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    Mute Aoife Deefdawg
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    Jul 12th 2012, 11:48 AM

    The Pope is due to visit the North next year to apologise for the years of clerical abuse, I guess we’ll see then if both sides can make historic gestures.

    I moved to Belfast from the south 4 years ago. Most people here think that the 12th is a disgrace and something to be ashamed, but those upholding the tradition are holding onto it firmly but I don’t imagine that it’ll be too long before there will be restrictions on the bonfires, they’re built next to houses that are lived in and actually cause the windows to melt, children freely climb the unstable structures 4 times the sizes of houses, every year there is trouble of a sectarian nature.

    This is a tradition that should have finished in the 80′s, it still occurs because there are many PSNI officers who, once they finish their shift are taking off their uniform and going to join the celebrations. Its a hangover from the RUC that most of the officers are protestant but more and more Catholics are joining and this is a great thing for his country.

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    Mute Ailís McKernan
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:16 AM

    Wow. Those pictures are something else. These people are unhinged! Something wrenched in my gut, seeing the Irish flag treated that way. How could we agree to allow these people to march through out capital city, when this is how they choose to behave??! I await their solution with bated breath, very bloody dubious though I am.

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    Mute Fiona Byrne
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:43 AM

    We should tell them “No something came up, ye can’t March in Dublin. Ye can March in Dundalk though, sure it’s closer anyway!”

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    Mute Briain MacMathghamha
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:25 PM

    That’s some generalization for an organization with what 80k members, I’m certain they are all paramilitaries is it any wonder there isn’t a united Ireland.

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    Mute Clare MacCann
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:46 AM

    I bet this ‘peaceful solution’ is nothing of the sort. Probably along the lines of ‘We’ll still go past Ardoyne but we’ll tell ye what – we’ll not dance in front of the Bookies on the Ormaeu Road this year, OK?’

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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:17 AM

    Well said Clare. Though at the 20th Anniversary commemoration of the Bookies in February a member drove past the gathering and gave a 5 finger salute, completely disrespecting the lives of those 3 men and 2 boys. They say it was 4 men and a boy but lets face it, Peter Magee was only 18 at the time of us death and had only turned 18 2 months previously. In my eyes that still made him a boy. They didn’t seem to want to report that incident on the news.

    I live in Kerry and can’t believe that this is allowed to go on. At the St. Patricks Day parade in Belfast Irish people aren’t allowed to carry Tri-colours. It appears to me that it’s one rule for them and another for everyone else. I can’t see why they have to march in places they aren’t wanted. Why not just march their own areas…oh yeah I forgot they like to let the Irish know that they are the ruling force and no matter what the British and Irish Government say, Nationalists up there are second class citizens. Pure Bigotry!!!

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    Mute jrbmc
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:21 AM

    If it doesn’t hurt anyone Peter??? Manys a man, woman and child were scared shitless last night in their homes and any other families that got out of the north last night will be praying that when they go back their houses will be still in one piece.

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    Mute Ken Forde
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:34 AM

    Still a lot of hate just under the surface on both sides up there . Sad to see it to be fair.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:09 AM

    And judging by some of the comments, down here as well.

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    Mute Joan Featherstone
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:43 AM

    Neanderthal man, living in the dark ages!

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    Mute jim redmond
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:19 AM

    I don’t think Neanderthals lived during the dark ages Joan.

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    Mute JayK
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    Jul 12th 2012, 2:09 PM

    I didn’t think they lived in 2012, yet here we are.

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    Mute Sarah Heavey
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:26 AM

    Proper peace cannot be found in Northern Ireland until these marches stop, or until the Orangemen stay in their own areas. tensions are high in the north at the best of time, but this ‘celebration’ of bitterness, killing and hatred is outdated and nonsensical. burning flags is the ultimate sla

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 11:30 AM

    It is not long ago that the 12th was associated with an orgy of killing, as Orange Men got drunk and went out to find a Catholic, any Catholic, to kill. The Order has a long association of using mob violence and paramilitary violence to maintain its supremacist view.

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    Mute Luke O'Brien
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    Jul 12th 2012, 11:14 AM

    The image of the Irish flag being thrown on the fire is enraging to say the least. If they love their Queen, union jack and the almighty Britian then why don’t they just feck off over there and let us get on with our country, our Ireland. Idiots.

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    Mute Fiona Byrne
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:39 AM

    First of all I thought flag burning wad illegal. Second of all I think the whole orange order is in bad taste. They have parades celebrating a victory in a war where protestants were fighting Catholics and this is exactly the behavior everyone should be moving away from. Peaceful orange order parade? An oxymoron.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:46 AM

    “First of all I thought flag burning was illegal.”

    Not in the UK.

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    Mute Ann-Marie Wallis
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:33 AM

    Jaysus….we’d see how I’d get on if I started burning a Union Jack or a St, George’s Cross over here in England….

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    Mute Damocles
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:37 AM

    I imagine the Guardian would offer you a job.

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    Mute Brian O'Donnell
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:23 AM

    I look forward to hearing the comments from our National Government and the British Government..and sure why not..also Europe. May I suggest we all write letters of complaint to the stupid idiots who let the bonfires happen!

    I would never burn the Union Jack! I would never insult an entire nation that way.

    46
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    Mute Davy Soup
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    Jul 12th 2012, 10:58 AM

    As a matter of research I googled lyrics of loyalist marching songs last night. I get the I’m Protestant, British, Loyal and proud of my heritage lyrics. However the songs referring to Fenians (Catholics) as smelly, dirty thieves and rapists, songs telling the Irish to go home from Scotland coz the famine is over, songs celebrating UVF murders, songs encouraging Catholic intimidation by loyalist marches are plain barbaric, evil and wrong. This is not a culture, it’s incitement to hatred, and needs to be tackled and stopped by the British government. I pity these poor disillusioned people.

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    Mute Sarah Heavey
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:14 PM

    they don’t deserve your pity, what about the Catholics or indeed the protestants that don’t participate having to put up with the marches, flag burning, barbaric songs?

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    Mute Dave O'Shea
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:39 AM

    It’s only a small percentage of uneducated, dole collecting , rangers wearing top bigots who start this… But for a small percentage , they can sure build a fire…. ORRRRRR , Maybe its not such a small majority after all. Maybe the PSNI is not a mixed religion as we thought, just maybe there is an underlying growth of hatred building up again…. Just maybe, the troubles are around the corner again.. How sad.

    44
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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 11:38 AM

    As the North normalizes, the likes of the Orange Order become more extreme, as they are forced to live as equals with their catholic Irish neighbours. Everything in the Order’s culture is based on how Catholics are Satan’s servants and the Irish are racially inferior, so seeing theirCatholic neighbours get uppity with jobs and voting, drives the Order crazy. They aren’t unfortunately a small minority, there are 100k Orange Men, out of 800k Unionists. They are openly extremist, racist and sectarian, its like joining the Klan, their sister org. Your still going to be hate filled to do it.

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    Mute Gavin McGuinness
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:08 PM

    I wish our government had some spine and condemn the burning of the tricolour.

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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:26 PM

    I wish our government had a spine and condemned the treatment of Irish people in the North!!! Condemn the tri-colour too but lets not forget the attacks against people, which in my view are slightly more important

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:32 PM

    Mary. The Govt. here destroyed all the files in to the bombings in Dublin and Monaghan. The Govt’s message to the people in the North for most of the last 90 years, was we couldn’t care less if they kill ye all.

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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:52 PM

    I know Fagan’s I was born in Belfast. I’m well aware of how the Irish Government view the Irish people in the north. They’ll come out and condemn the things that the IRA did but God forbid they should come out and ask for apologies for what the LVF, UVF, UFF, UDA, the Red Hand Defenders or the RUC did. Makes me sick that quite a few people here forget their history. I’m all for moving on from the past but it was our History that made us.

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    Mute Aranthos Faroth
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    Jul 12th 2012, 10:36 AM

    Shame that the whole area wasn’t burned to the ground.
    Would have taught the UK Gov that this is a fkn BS ‘tradition’ and also teach the emergency services that ridiculously sized bonfires in an urban area are the stupidest thing to happen since the orange order was formed.

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    Mute Sarah Heavey
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:27 AM

    slap in the face.

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    Mute Conor Conneally
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:29 PM

    I was driving back home from belfast yesterday and I stopped in cookstown to get some food. As I was leaving the town I spotted a pile of lumber and pallets with flags on it. There was a Tricolour, A papal Flag and strangly the 4 provincial flags of Ireland. Even an Ulster flag! When people are burning their provinces traditional flag you can guess that they are a few pallets short of a bonfire.
    Im not sure what the people of Munster Connacht and Leinster did to offend the people of this rather grim housing estate.

    Its a rather pagan tradition isn’t it? A bit of Fire worship from people who claim to adhere to staunch Protestantism.
    A better question is where did they get their hands on a papal flag?

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    Mute Sarah Heavey
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:51 PM

    that’s so disrespectful, boils my blood

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    Mute Briain MacMathghamha
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    Jul 12th 2012, 7:17 PM

    At the fleg shap?

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    Mute Andrew Corcoran
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    Jul 12th 2012, 2:45 PM

    They have more in common with the Nazis than they do with the British. Complete fascists, their way or the highway, which ironically enough is usually their way too.

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    Mute Ciarán
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:38 PM

    Last night at one Orange Fest event the natives not only burned the tricolour but also a statue of Our Lady. The true nature of Orange Fest is apparent for all to see i.e. hatred, bigotry and intolerance and all from a “Christian Organisation”. To allow this the happen the PSNI in full riot gear took over the Falls Road and hemmed Catholics into their own homes. I thought we were moving on but seemingly not !!!

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    Mute Ciarán
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    Jul 12th 2012, 1:36 PM

    Davy they are Irish as they were born here, they just wont accept it.

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    Mute Mark Larson
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    Jul 12th 2012, 3:43 PM

    Im English from London, i think the burning of the tricolour is a disgrace, how do they expect to move forward. Ireland is Irish Fullstop. We know that, London has more in common with Dublin than Belfast. Unfortunately old fashioned bigoted people will always be stubborn and always hold you back.

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    Mute Briain MacMathghamha
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:14 PM

    I presume they would cite the 2nd commandment and ergo it couldn’t be considered a Christian symbol

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    Mute Declan Mc Mahon
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    Jul 12th 2012, 11:11 AM

    Surely burning tri- colour is slightly childish. But wouldn’t there be out rage if we started burning union jacks. Maybe it jus me but in the last 12 months prodestents have shown real hatred towards us across the border. Wake up it’s 2012 not back in the 1970′s or maybe yous want it to go back seriousely like?????

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:47 PM

    It would be interesting to have a comment from someone in the orange order. Come on you must be reading some of this. Can you counter some of these comments. I am a republican although not a supporter of SF. I would like some one from the Orange Order to bring balance to this post.

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    Mute Ciarán
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    Jul 12th 2012, 1:02 PM

    By saying that the ornage order need to comment in order to balance suggests that we are not being factual. Everything that I have said is based on fact and can be backed up with photos. How can the OO defend actions such as burning statues of our lady or burning effigies of the Free Derry corner with the names of the Bloody Sunday victims on it. They wont comment of course because they cant defend the indefensible.

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Jul 12th 2012, 2:06 PM

    Ciaran its all facts & I agree with that view however members of the OO have also been victims of such attacks they will tell you & I for one do not want a one sided debate. I am confident enough in my beliefs & the fact that hearing from the other side may even strenghten my beliefs.

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    Mute Ciarán
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    Jul 12th 2012, 3:04 PM

    Its not about it being one-sided. Of course there have been terrible attacks on the OO, particularly on property. I dont condone it and have no problem in saying so but no one from my community does those things in the name of “culture”. The rules of the OO are so patently anti-catholic and outdated that in any other civilised country they would be banned for encitement of hatred. I would like to hear from them, I support the calls from my community to sit down with us to find agreement. It was done in Derry and elsewhere why not in Belfast & Portadown? Supremacy days are over, time they realised that. Days of croppies lie down are well and truly over.

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    Mute Briain MacMathghamha
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:12 PM

    The orange order don’t organize any bonfires the majority of them are done by kids, also I doubt many orange men real the Journel.ie as they don’t have any interest in the south

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:55 PM

    Ciaran if the other side are not involved its one sided. Also a lot of these unionists had to talk to the IRA so I think we could maybe take a bit of the same medicine. Whats to fear & I say that also to any OO member commenting here. Im not afraid of it.

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    Mute B Collins
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    Jul 12th 2012, 1:35 PM

    Disturbing images. An absolute disgrace that burning the Tricolour is permitted. A disgrace that the Orange Order are allowed to march at all, let alone in Catholic areas.
    You can be sure that if Irish people marched anywhere and threw the Union Jack on a bonfire, there would be uproar in the North and in the UK as well.
    It’s crazy that this is allowed to happen. Wasn’t there an extreme right-wing Christian preacher in the US who threatened to burn the Koran and post it on YouTube? I think the government stepped in there and stopped it. Pity that authorities in NI, Ireland and the UK don’t make an effort. We welcomed the Queen to our shores with genuine warmth and they’re still behaving like this?
    Deeply offensive carry-on.

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    Mute Catherine Hayward
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    Jul 12th 2012, 2:04 PM

    I was in Belfast with my Daughter as one of these Marches was taking place, and what was really noticeable was the arrogant attitude of those marching, towards the end there were men with what i can only describe as sharp black suits, bowler hat’s and swinging large black umbrella , they marched like soldier’s to be honest i felt a little nervous, and didn’t watch for to long…

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    Mute Briain MacMathghamha
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:16 PM

    Suits and umbrellas? Terrifying

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    Mute Mark Meehan
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    Jul 12th 2012, 1:36 PM

    As someone has already said in a comment above, its the celebration of a battle between Catholics and Protestants. In this day and age where peace and community equality are paramount, what are the Orange Order etc trying to achieve? They march around and assert some twisted sense of authority, deliberately trying to provoke people of the Nationalist/Republican background. I mean, they are literally looking for a fight. What other point can there be? I know people are entitled to their opinions, but anywhere else in these isles, these people would be done for incitement. One rule for Protestants and another for everyone else? Sounds familiar. This needs to change.

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    Mute Adam McGauran
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    Jul 12th 2012, 11:54 AM

    Sure let them burn what they want, what comes around goes around and with any luck they will all at sometime be in need of a few pallets! And at least they bought a few tri color flags. It’s money in the bank regardless of what they do with them :)

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    Mute Catherine Hesnan
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:43 PM

    Well i’m not suprised this has happened they could only keep the pretence of Peace so long now our stupid government want to allow the unionist march in Dublin Oh the brains in this country are in short supply ,I wish our so called government had the balls to condemn the burning of the Tri-colour and this outrages behaviour……..

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    Mute Aindí Mac An T
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:03 PM

    I’m off to burn a union jack. See yiz all outside the Dáil lads.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:06 PM

    Have fun with that.

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    Mute Mark Larson
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:19 PM

    No need to go as low as they are.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:32 PM

    Sorry, Mark, I disagree.

    The UK does not consider the burning of flags to be a crime. Moves were made to criminalise it in 2006 but they were stopped by the Lib Dems, Nick Clegg probably threatened to cry or something.

    If someone wants to burn the flag of my country, let them. It’s just a symbol. They end up wasting their money and time and look like a bit of an imbecile.

    If, on the other hand, someone wants to burn my country then we have an issue.

    Perhaps we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one, Mark.

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:41 PM

    U should even joke about it.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Jul 12th 2012, 6:40 PM

    I do, Fagan’s. Out best weapon against intimidation and bigotry is humour and vague feeling of smugness.

    I’ll add that when winter fuel allowance time comes round I’ll expect no complaints from that sector of the community.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Jul 12th 2012, 6:42 PM

    “Our”, rather than “Out”.

    “a vague” rather than “vague”.

    Vague enough to excuse these typos hopefully.

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    Mute Dermot Mc Loughlin
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    Jul 12th 2012, 1:00 PM

    What if we have this all wrong and they’re merely summoning the Rohirrim?

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    Mute Dermot Mc Loughlin
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    Jul 12th 2012, 1:17 PM

    Joking aside, the flag and effigy burning is the actions of an uncouth, uncivilised yob, can you imagine the hue and cry if every easter we erected these pyres and burned Union flags or that bastardization of the true Ulster flag….the loyalists would have a field day, they’d look down their noses and that uncivilised mono-cultural papist state to the south still carrying the baggage of history, it would delight them.

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    Mute JP Mc Entee
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    Jul 12th 2012, 10:48 AM

    And it looks like they are getting a great day of weather aswel, in Ulster that is.

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    Mute Dermot Mc Loughlin
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    Jul 12th 2012, 1:08 PM

    Yup, great day here along the Cavan/Monaghan border, i’m sure it’s just as nice in the rest of Ulster. :P

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    Mute Peter
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:11 AM

    Well I don’t agree with it but is not a freedom of speech issue? Whos to say what flag you can burn or not? Everyone has the right to express themselfs if it does not hurt anyone.. You go and ban it and they might turn radical and violent

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    Mute TORQUE.ie
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:25 AM

    Nice face peter.

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    Mute Eimear Smith
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:29 AM

    What would you call the last few decades up there other than radical and violent? Flag burning incites hatred and provokes people. The British government won’t allow Muslim clerics Freedom of speech on their streets because it’s for the same reason. It should take a similar stance to the burning of the Tricolour. The Irish government should also take a stand and condemn it. Accepting these kind of actions only perpetuates hatred and bigotry

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Jul 12th 2012, 11:26 AM

    Would you like it if 5000 fascists and extreme bigots paraded up and down your street, threatening you, spitting in your garden because you are Catholics. Seeing shooting gestures being made at your house and knowing that there is fup all you can do about it, because just behind the loyalist paramilitary with the sash, is your DUP cllr and a member of the police laughing. Without thousands of their supporters singing songs about killing Irish people, and with KAT on their faces. (Kill All Taigs).That is the reality of the Orange Order, call them what they are Nazi’s.

    The raw hatred and supremacy that defines every aspect of Orange thinking is something that is thankfully quiet rare in Europe these days.

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    Mute Exile from Main St
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    Jul 12th 2012, 12:39 PM

    Sure this is all put down as a bit of craic by some people,if you read the papers on Saturday.’After a fine rendition of The Sash then we all headed off for a nice wee ice cream in the demonstration field’.

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    Mute Chris Purdie
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:37 PM

    I have never had time for any of these marches and I say this as one of them who moved from Glasgow to Ireland 12 years ago.

    Also these marches take place in Glasgow every year normally on the weekend before their ‘big(oted)’ day in the north. I don’t miss those days in Glasgow and I usually made an excuse to avoid the place at all costs.

    Nowadays, the ordinary decent folk both here and in the uk have too many other things to think about, most notably trying to get by in these difficult economic times!

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    Mute Randy Cecil
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    Jul 12th 2012, 5:30 PM

    Dublin fiddles while Ireland burns!

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    Mute Philip O'Connell
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    Jul 12th 2012, 9:43 PM

    Some shower of C yoU Next TuesdayS

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    Mute Darren Mccarthy
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    Jul 12th 2014, 7:29 AM

    Classy as ever !

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